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Have you ever said yourself, or heard an adult that’s overweight say, things like “I’m battling with my weight” or “I have a weight problem?” I, for one, sure have—especially when people find out that I lost 125 pounds in eight months back in 1993. But what would you say if I told you that people who are seriously overweight, perhaps even obese, in truth are “battling with their e motions” and they “have emotional problems?” Sounds much more jarring, doesn’t it?! Did I just hear a pin drop? Like fingernails on a chalk board, admissions like this hurt our ears and make us want to run out of the room. Who wants to admit that they have an emotional problem? Not many, I’m sure. And furthermore, who is capable of admitting that they have an emotional problem? In fact, many people with serious weight problems, especially a child or a teenager that’s in this battle, likely aren’t aware of their emotions (or how emotions dictate their behavior). I sure wasn’t aware of them when I was struggling with childhood obesity between the ages of 7 and 18. I didn’t even know that I felt deeply inadequate and that I was full of self-pity—and no one talked about binge eating in the 1980’s. The good news is that the emotional problems that drive us to overeat are easier to manage than we’ve been lead to believe. And once we have our emotional drivers in check, we can drive our future choices and behaviors, and therefore our bodies, to perfect health just like I did. All we need is the knowledge and perhaps a little coaching—not a lot of therapy, doctor visits, surgeries, and extreme attempts to get fit. So if you’ve tried everything and are still “battling with weight,” this simple list is for you. And if you’re worried about your kid who’s already seriously overweight or is showing signs of becoming so, this list is the magic bullet that you need to help him or her really get control of the situation early and avoid much pain and agony as they grow up. The 4 steps to perfect health are: 1. Recognize universal human needs 2. Find destructive triggers & patterns 3. Change emotional rules 4. Free binding vices Confused already? Of course! We’ve been conditioned to focus purely on food, fat content, carbs, etc.—or to try workouts that shock our bodies into perfect health. Unfortunately, those things are not sustainable unless the right emotional foundation is properly set. Please don’t confuse the message here. Food and exercise are important, even critical, pieces to achieving perfect health or to helping your kid lose weight forever. However, getting the emotional house in order is vital, it’s first, and it’s where all the other stuff is controlled. Simply put, it’s the emotions (the feelings) that dictate the current and long-term success with any weight loss or health goals. Don’t worry. This is not as complicated as it sounds or as vague as the list may appear. These powerful steps are actually the most natural process we can follow—like breathing, but deeply in this case. Doug Pedersen Author Speaker Founder of PLAYGROUND:GLOBAL Author of “TUNA BREATH: A 275-Pound Teenager’s Coming Of Age Story” www.dougapedersen.com Facebook.com/dougpedersenspeaks Email: doug@dougapedersen.com Tel: 312-622-3944
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Doug Pedersen, Tuna Breath, wellness, weight loss, obesity,
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